I can think of some reasons why you might deliberately attack your own pokemons in a double battle:
- It is a move that heals the target, such as Heal Pulse, or Pollen Puff (which only heals the target if it targets a ally).
- To impose a non-volatile status condition to prevent another non-volatile status condition.
- To impose a status condition which benefits the target in some way (e.g. due to Guts, Facade, Poison Heal).
- Because the target is trapped and you cannot affect the opponent quickly enough this way, in order to activate a different pokemon.
- Because the target is both trapped and choice-locked to an attack which is ineffective against the opponent (and/or helpful to the opponent), and you will want to use another pokemon to attack the opponent more quickly (or set up something more quickly before the opponent does).
- To remove a item that is no longer useful, such as a choice item (e.g. in order to avoid being choice-locked in case you have to use a different move next turn and switching out is not appropriate).
- Using Roar or Whirlwind (or Circle Throw or Dragon Tail, although those are damaging moves) to switch out the target after attacking (e.g. to get rid of volatile conditions or being choice-locked, even though that condition is acceptable during this turn).
- Using Roar or Whirlwind (or Circle Throw or Dragon Tail) in case the target is trapped.
- To trigger the target's beneficial item or ability (e.g. Weakness Policy or Justified, or possibly a healing item that will increase its HP to more than what it was before being damaged).
- In case opponent used Destiny Bond, and you will instead attack your ally (who might use Protect (or be immune to due type or ability) to avoid the damage from your attack, or might be resisted but will attack the other one of opponent's pokemon).
- In order to change the target's type with a move that does so, to gain an advantage against the opponent's pokemon (e.g. resistance or immunity vs other types, STAB, or changing to Ghost type to become immune to trapping).
- Taunt to prevent the target from executing its selected move for one turn.
- Encore to change the priority of the target's move for one turn, if you intend to use the same move as the previous turn but selected a different one instead.
- Using a move that damages the user if it misses, on a target that is protected, in order to deliberately damage yourself (e.g. because you want to do low priority switch, and don't care if your pokemon has to faint to do so; or for other reasons having to do with damage that are mentioned above).
- Encore to affect which move the target uses in case you are unsure whether or not the pokemon using Encore will be knocked out (or affected by Taunt) by opponent's attacks before using Encore on the same turn, and will have a strategy that will involve that move or not depending on what the opponent does. (This may require a specific speed)
- Similar to above, but using Taunt to prevent the execution of a move due to that.
- To remove a item in order to prevent Poltergeist from working, or to prevent the opponent from stealing it.
- Trick to exchange items.
- To trigger the target's Wimp Out or Eject Button, so that it will be switched out when the move is made rather than earlier during the turn.
- Apparently you can use No Retreat multiple times if trapped due to Mean Look, so you might be able to use that.
- In case you are forced to use a move with recoil damage that is based on a fraction of the damage dealt, and the oppoent is weak and/or not enough defense that you would be damaged a lot but your ally has more defense and it would do less damage to the ally, then it might sometimes be worth to do this to not be damaged as much.
- In case the ally is affected by Swagger but does not have any physical attacks, to use a move to add negative Physical Attack stages.
Some of these (especially use of damaging moves) can be risky in some situations. Also, I am not including moves that already target everyone (such as Earthquake) in the above list (although some of these effects can also be achieved by moves that target everyone).
2025-10-27 · 6 months ago · 👍 tenno-seremel